Excessive barkers

Teach the pups a "Speak" (ok to bark now) command, and a "Quiet" (not ok to bark now) command. Really reward the "Quiet" with lots of c/t.

Hey everyone!
I have a new client that has a couple of schnauzer dachshund mixes who are
also littermates and are EXCESSIVE barkers. So, she got this breed mix why???  If any two breeds are predisposed to excessive barking, it's doxies and schnauzers. 

When she has people over, the dogs just go CRAZY and bark their heads off.
Then they'll stop barking for a while but if the new person moves at all the
dogs irrupt in barking again.  The dogs have not been socialized (which I know is part of the problem and
we will be addressing that)  I don't want to burst your bubble, but you cannot remedially "socialize" a dog.  The socialization period is there for a reason - so that dogs can learn to accept anything that they need to when they are adults by seeing it during that "window" - dogs that get little contact from visitors between age 8-12 weeks, 16 at the outside, may always be fearful of novel people or situations.  You can make it better through training, but you are bucking litter mate syndrome and breed predisposition, too, so don't expect too much.  Sure, a trainer might help, but in more circumstances than you can shake a stick at, you leave and the owner forgets half of what you said, so they just scream "shut up" at the dogs.  Which, of course, is like striking up a duet;-)

but aside from that, what do you do to teach an
excessive barker to stop?  Black Labbie's idea is one which trainers use all the time. 

I'd like some ideas on what I could try to do to help this woman get this
back under control as quickly as possible since she can't even carry on a
conversation with these pups in the room.  Two words - citronella collars
Thank you!

Stay away from citronella, you dont have to listen to me, here is a thread where several people actually rather to use an ecollar than a cintronella collar and they explain why:

http://community.dog.com/forums/t/101453.aspx

I have done this dozens of times and always works, has not fail me once:

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/dog-whisperer#tab-Videos/02041_00

This one has 2 dogs:

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/dog-whisperer#tab-Videos/02383_01

Or this one:

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/dog-whisperer#tab-Videos/03086_01

 I can't see any of the videos. This issue in this case is likely "littermate syndrome".

 Remove them from the situation until their calm.

I think the answer lies in the question.  If she cannot carry on a conversation with them in the room, why are they in the room?  Remove them and separate them.  They bark, they get put in a covered crate or separate room until they stop.  If they are misbehaving they need to learn the appropriate behavior and earn the privilege of being loose together when people are over.

 I know that she has blended two highly reactive barking breeds and that will pose an obvious challenge, can't fight genetics.

And even though we've missed our prime socialization period that doesn't mean there isn't any hope for solidifying a different behavior, and associating people and dogs with good and soothing things. 

While I had our consult, I asked her if she crates the dogs, like when she's gone to work.  She said yes, and I asked her if they were quiet when she crated them and she said always.  So, when they irrupted in barking again, I had her crate them to give them time to chill out and be quiet.  Initially, they whined which she said they never did before, but eventually they went quiet and could clearly hear us talking.

I asked her when all of this started and she said about 6 months ago when she'd lost her job and started spending all of her time at home.

She spoils them, and they've never learned a lick of obedience, they don't know boundaries, or respect her as their leader.

I know they need to be separated in order to go any further in this process and it is clear already that one of the dogs is the instigator. Neither will learn unless each of them does separately.  I know however that this woman will not keep them separated for everything. 

I told her that it is evident to me that the littermates are in fierce competition with one another, and that is largely contributing to her problem.  That we would be teaching them self control exercises, working with them one at a time, crating them separately (she currently has one big crate for both of them), using leadership exercises, and that if they didn't behave, they would not be given access to anyone.

I was thinking about possibly having her leash one of the dogs, and walking into the room I'm in with them, when the dog starts to bark, to turn around and leave the room and put the dog in a room with the door between him and the owner. Repeating this process over and over I thought may get the message across "I bark? No interaction" Thoughts?

 They are hopefully crated separately? What about providing her with some info on littermate syndrome?

thetruejuliet22

it is clear already that one of the dogs is the instigator. Neither will learn unless each of them does separately.

Not really, all that she needs is to focus on the instigator and correct the behavior, the other one will just follow. Just like in the second link i posted

This problem could be solved in less than 20 seconds every time it happens and most likely would be gone forever after one or 2 weeks

Liesje

think the answer lies in the question.  If she cannot carry on a conversation with them in the room, why are they in the room?  Remove them and separate them.  They bark, they get put in a covered crate or separate room until they stop.  If they are misbehaving they need to learn the appropriate behavior and earn the privilege of being loose together when people are over.

Liesje

Remove them and separate them.  They bark, they get put in a covered crate or separate room until they stop.

A door in between the guests and the dogs wont stop the behavior. Guests = excitement and as long as they hear the guests they will bark. I have a cousin that takes his dog down to the basemant for the same reason. For 5 years i have heard the dog barking from down there every time we arrive, yes he eventually stops after 30 minutes but has never stopped barking every time we arrive.

Is all about teaching the dogs guests = relaxation. Just like dogs should not pee inside the house, they should not bark at guests. We dont teach the dogs that you can still pee inside the house as long as you are in another room with the door close.

An issue so simple to be resolved that most likely wont for the fear to use corrections, even if they are just voice corrections. When i teach it to my friends, family or co workers i only have to do it once, they do it once to see if they did it right and then i can leave. They dont have to repeat it very often after that.

If my dogs cannot behave with manners when people are over, they get removed.  I don't really care if they still bark and throw a fit.  They aren't going to win anything that way and will learn pretty fast to knock it off.  If they want to bark and be crazy, I put them outside or in the van kennel.  Not all of my guests like dogs or can be around them (allergies).  I don't generally have people over just to spend all that time training the dogs that guests = relaxation.  The guests are there for me, not my dogs. 

You can thumbs down my method all you want but I have unexpected people drop in and my dogs are quiet after their initial alert (alert barking is allowed because of where I live).  A few weekends ago, a utility worker came by unannounced to fix an issue tracked to my house.  The dogs all laid still and quiet while he was going around the house doing his work.  I don't train my dogs how to interact with guests because that's not always possible or something I want them to do.  They need to know that when I say lay down and be quiet, they have to lay down and be quiet, guests or not.